Service of the Word, Sunday, June 21, 2020

3rd Sunday after Pentecost

The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Ramsey, NJ

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PRELUDE

Duetto I

from Klavierübung Part 3 J. S. Bach

WELCOME

GATHERING

The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,

whose steadfast love is everlasting,

whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Reconciling God,

we confess that we do not trust your abundance,

and we deny your presence in our lives.

We place our hope in ourselves

and rely on our own efforts.

We fail to believe that you provide enough for all.

We abuse your good creation for our own benefit.

We fear difference and do not welcome others

as you have welcomed us.

We sin in thought, word, and deed.

By your grace, forgive us;

through your love, renew us;

and in your Spirit, lead us;

so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

Beloved of God,

by the radical abundance of divine mercy

we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus,

through whom we have obtained grace upon grace.

Our sins are forgiven.

Let us live now in hope.

For hope does not disappoint,

because God’s love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

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GATHERING SONG

GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

GLORIA

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PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

Teach us, good Lord God, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight

and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward,

except that of knowing that we do your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 20:7-13

A reading from Jeremiah

7O Lord, you have enticed me,

and I was enticed;

you have overpowered me,

and you have prevailed.

I have become a laughingstock all day long;

everyone mocks me.

8For whenever I speak, I must cry out,

I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”

For the word of the Lord has become for me

a reproach and derision all day long.

9If I say, “I will not mention him,

or speak any more in his name,”

then within me there is something like a burning fire

shut up in my bones;

I am weary with holding it in,

and I cannot.

10For I hear many whispering:

“Terror is all around!

Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”

All my close friends

are watching for me to stumble.

“Perhaps he can be enticed,

and we can prevail against him,

and take our revenge on him.”

11But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;

therefore my persecutors will stumble,

and they will not prevail.

They will be greatly shamed,

for they will not succeed.

Their eternal dishonor

will never be forgotten.

12O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,

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you see the heart and the mind;

let me see your retribution upon them,

for to you I have committed my cause.

13Sing to the Lord;

praise the Lord!

For he has delivered the life of the needy

from the hands of evildoers.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18

7Surely, for your sake I have suffered reproach,

and shame has covered my face.

8I have become a stranger to my own kindred,

an alien to my mother’s children.

9Zeal for your house has eaten me up;

the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.

10I humbled myself with fasting,

but that was turned to my reproach.

[11I put on sackcloth also,

and became a byword among them.

12Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,

and the drunkards make songs about me.

13But as for me, this is my prayer to you, at the time you have set, O LORD:

“In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help.

14Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;

let me be rescued from those who hate me and out of the deep waters.

15Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up;

do not let the pit shut its mouth upon me.]

16Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind;

in your great compassion, turn to me.

17Hide not your face from your servant;

be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.

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18Draw near to me and redeem me;

because of my enemies deliver me. R

SECOND READING: Romans 6:1b-11

A reading from Romans.

1bShould we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who

died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ

Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into

death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might

walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him

in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of

sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is

freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We

know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion

over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL: Matthew 10:24-39

The holy gospel according to Matthew.

Glory to you, O Lord.

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[Jesus said to the twelve:] 24“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have

called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his

household!

26“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing

secret that will not become known. 27What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you

hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot

kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows

sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30And even

the hairs of your head are all counted. 31So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many

sparrows.

32“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before

my Father in heaven; 33but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in

heaven.

34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace,

but a sword.

35For I have come to set a man against his father,

and a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

36and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or

daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow

me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for

my sake will find it.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

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HYMN OF THE DAY

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APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world.

A brief silence.

Expansive God, you bring diverse voices together to form your church. Open our hearts and

unstop our ears to learn from one another, that differences might not overshadow our baptismal

unity. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Providing God, your creation shows us that life comes from death. Renew the places where our

land, air, and waterways have been ill for too long (local environmental concerns may be prayed

for). Direct the work of all who care for birds and their habitats. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Protecting God, sustain and keep safe all who work to defend others across the world

(especially). Revive and strengthen organizations dedicated to caring for refugees and migrants

while their homelands struggle for peace. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

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Loving God, you promise to be with all who are persecuted for your sake. Guide all who speak

your word of justice and console any who are tormented or targeted for being who they are. Hear

us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Compassionate God, you are with us and we are never alone. Bless all fathers and father figures

who strive to love and nurture as you do. Comfort all who long to be fathers and all for whom

this day is difficult. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

Reigning God, you bless us with guides and caretakers in the faith. As we give thanks for those

who have died, increase our care for one another until we walk with them in newness of life.

Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Gracious God, be with those must go to work during this time of pandemic, and whose jobs are

considered essential to the world we live in. We lift up before you especially Alison, Art, Brian,

Carol, Dave, Debi, Ginelle, Gwen, Jeff, Jennifer, Jodi, John, Kirsten, Kristen, Lauren, Lis, Lou,

Marc, Matthew, Megan, Micaela, Peter, Ray, Robert, Scott, Sharon, Stacey, Tom, Tricia. Keep

all workers safe today and always.

Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Receive these prayers, O God, and those prayers which are too deep for words; through Jesus

Christ our Lord.

Amen.

PEACE

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

SOLO

At the River Copeland

Jennifer Hommez, Soloist

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THANKSGIVING FOR GOD’S GIFTS

OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us

with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have

gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

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THANKSGIVING FOR THE WORD

Let us pray.

Praise and thanks to you, holy God, for by your Word you made all things: you spoke light into

darkness, called forth beauty from chaos, and brought life into being. For your Word of life, O

God,

we give you thanks and praise.

By your Word you called your people Israel to tell of your wonderful gifts: freedom from

captivity, water on the desert journey, a pathway home from exile, wisdom for life with you. For

your Word of life, O God,

we give you thanks and praise.

Through Jesus, your Word made flesh, you speak to us and call us to witness: forgiveness

through the cross, life to those entombed by death, the way of your self-giving love. For your

Word of life, O God,

we give you thanks and praise.

Send your Spirit of truth, O God; rekindle your gifts within us: renew our faith, increase our

hope, and deepen our love, for the sake of a world in need. Faithful to your Word, O God, draw

near to all who call on you; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and

the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever.

Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

BLESSING OF FATHERS

God of all creation,

pour out your blessing on all fathers

and those who provide fatherly care.

You have made them in your image

and given them children to love and care for in your name.

Bless them with a heart like your heart:

discerning and thoughtful, bold and decisive,

compassionate and loving.

As they model for their children

the life that is lived by faith and not by sight,

grant them courage under pressure

and confidence in your power.

When troubles threaten to overwhelm them,

grant them your coping calm.

When doubts give rise to anxiety,

shore up their trust in your promises.

When joy fills their days,

grant them a keen gratitude for your abundant supply of grace.

Season them with a lively sense of humor, Lord,

for it will make life richer for us all.

In all circumstances preserve them as your own.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

BLESSING

Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,

nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ,

and the Holy Spirit, the comforter,

bless you and keep you in eternal love.

Amen.

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SENDING SONG

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DISMISSAL

Go in peace. Christ is with you.

Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE

“Little” Prelude and Fugue in D Minor J. S. Bach

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